Every morning when the winter weather in Scotland wasn’t howling, I would wake up early and walk a few miles along the shores of the Firth of Forth. Just as the sun would start to hint at peeking above the horizon, streaking fire into the darkness, I’d walk along the rocky beach. Past the early morning dog walkers taking their dogs for a wee romp on the sands. Waving good morning to the nutty Fife Dippers who are swimming in the frigid Forth. They do this every day by the way. On purpose. Cold, cold water swimming. On purpose. They always invite me to join them. But I have a firm Swim-Only-In Bath-Temperature-Waters policy.
But I digress…
I thank them and continue on.
As I would wander, I would scour the sand looking for sea glass. I found it and then some. For weeks I stuffed my pocket each morning with the glass I found- milky white, soft amber, emerald green and my favorite the soft seafoam which is neither blue nor truly green. Occasionally I would find an elusive sapphire blue. Once I even found a shard of pink glass. I’d carry these treasures back to the house and pile the treasure in clear glass jars just to marvel at their beauty. Mark commented that I was a magpie with an unquenchable desire for the collecting of shiny things.
No, its not that I covet shiny things. Its that sea glass becomes beautiful only after it has gone THROUGH some stuff. Glass starts out shiny and perfect but flat. It is only after it has been tested and tumbled by wind and wave and circumstances that it achieves luminosity. Some pieces cannot endure and will shatter only to return to sand once again. Some glass will appear when its just been through a little bit and isn’t quite ready yet. Back you go to experience a little more, to gain a little light.
It’s the pieces of sea glass that have been tried, tumbled and tested the most which reach the pinnacle of luminosity. All that it has been through somehow did not break it, but instead softened its edges and gave it its glow. Kind of like some people.
Some people have gone through a whole lot and somehow they’ve not shattered, instead they kind of glow. I think of the many people I’ve met for whom this is true. They’ve not let the bad things they’ve been through break them, they allow it to transform them into something beautiful.
Perhaps that is why I like to pick up and treasure these bits of glass. Refuse to some, a tr4easure to others.
In reality its because I like long walks and I DO have a magpie’s love of shiny and this combined these both in one activity. Mark’s frugal Fife heart should be gladdened that my memento of choice costs nothing more than time. If you have the time, there are far worse ways to spend your time than hiking the Fife Coastal Path on a brisk winter morning. In fact, I highly recommend it.
